Mother gets half-year for locking 3 kids in cars trunk

EVERETT — A mother whose children were found locked in the trunk of her car during a traffic stop won’t spend many more days in jail, but it could be even longer before she is allowed to have contact with her kids.

Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Thomas Wynne on Wednesday called what Anna Boyle did in September the “epitome of bad parenting” and then sentenced her to six months in the county jail.

Before he handed down the sentence, Wynne read to Boyle the conditions of the court order that prohibits her from seeing or contacting her children. The order is valid until 2017.

After Boyle was arrested, her children, ages 5, 7 and 8, were removed and placed with relatives.

Boyle, 28, could earn the chance to see her children sooner if she meets the requirements established by the dependency court. She also could eventually regain custody of her children. Boyle likely will need to undergo drug treatment, parenting classes and mental health counseling.